This invention relates to a system for modifying the environment in a personal work station area and in particular to a system for providing task lighting and air circulation for such a work station. While the invention is primarily intended for use with a computer work station, including a video display terminal, it may find application in other work station settings.
Computer work stations typically provide an environment that contributes to fatigue of the operator One of the most difficult environmental factors to regulate in a computer work station is task lighting. Lighting that may be appropriate for typical desk work is wholly inappropriate for a video display terminal (VDT) operator. Variations in the contrast between the VDT brightness and illumination of the reference copy materials creates eyestrain. Glare, which is undesirable in any environment, is especially fatiguing in the context of a VDT work station.
Characteristically, the conventional computer work station is provided in the form of a cubicle having walls extending, partially or fully, from the floor to the ceiling. Such cubicles tend to be installed subsequent to the design of the larger room in which they are placed and the lighting in the ceiling grid is usually not matched to the location of the work station cubicle. Thus, contrast variations between the VDT and the reference copy materials, as well as shadows that are cast across both the VDT and the reference copy materials, are aggravated by the use of paneled cubicles.
An additional difficulty created by cubicle work stations is the interference caused by the paneled walls, with the natural air circulation in the larger room in which the cubicle is positioned. The paneled walls block the natural air flow and tend to trap heat generated by the computer system. The environment of the computer work station is thus further degraded by inadequate air circulation and a buildup of heat.
While attempts have been made to improve these factors tending to degrade the work station environment, most such attempts have had serious drawbacks. Various task lighting devices have been proposed. Most such devices, however, take up premium work space within the human reach zone of the work station. Those devices that may be remotely located, tend to create fatigue-generating glare because of compromises resulting from the remote location. While attempts have been made to provide a light source that allows adjustment of the direction of the light, and/or the intensity of the light, one variable is usually dependent upon the other. The usual result is that either light intensity is improper or glare is produced. Additionally, the proposed prior art devices have not addressed the problem of inadequate air circulation and a buildup of heat, generated by the computer equipment, in the work station environment. Accordingly, it is the object of the present invention to provide a solution to such environmental problems present in the personal work station.